The 2024 AZA Annual Conference in Calgary was special. We all felt it. Maybe it was the ever-blue skies, the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s exceptional care and hospitality, the city’s vibrant public art and culinary scene, or the warm welcome to their lands from Elders of The Blackfoot Confederacy. Or perhaps it was the immersion in the palpable passion and energy of the zoo and aquarium community, all tenaciously committed to building a healthier future for people and nature. As one TESSERE team member put it, this is a moment we can’t return from. There was a Zoo and Aquarium Division of TESSERE before Calgary, and a transformed one after.
Through spirited conversations in committee meetings, concurrent sessions, and beneath the Northern lights, our team was profoundly impacted by the challenges and opportunities we encountered. We return from Calgary not only more motivated, but fundamentally changed, with a renewed sense of purpose to support the collective mission of zoos and aquariums in safeguarding wildlife and conserving the natural world.
Understanding Our Communities is Key to Future Relevance
Jen Charette, Zoo Community Impact Manager
Many Small Wins Build Big Success
Jamie Ohrt, Associate Architect
Building Truly Inclusive Spaces Means Designing Beyond Compliance
Alan Montufar, Project Architect
First Time Attendee
Authentic and Inclusive Land Acknowledgements Are Powerful
Jesse Daniel, Zoo & Aquarium Division Project Coordinator
Understanding Our Communities is Key to Future Relevance
Jen Charette, Zoo Community Impact Manager
Sitting in a session exploring organizational strategic plans alongside over 100 other zoo and aquarium leaders, it was striking to learn that the overwhelming majority – more than 80% – in the audience had not involved external community members in shaping their plans. This gap is alarming. If we aren’t listening to understand our audiences now, how can we be confident that our long-term investments and strategies will remain relevant into the future? That they will be effective in inspiring our audiences to join us in cultivating a healthier planet?
This is a field of brilliant, passionate professionals, but we often forget that we are not always representative of our audience. We carry our own biases and agendas—sometimes disconnected from the realities, experiences, and motivations of those visiting our zoos and aquariums and the full spectrum of communities we are trying to engage. We expect they will share our passion for conserving the natural world, if only we show them and teach them. Social science shows us this is a fallacy we can no longer afford to maintain.
Despite the vital role zoos and aquariums play in connecting people with wildlife, our field has been slow to fully integrate social science into long-term planning and program development. If we are to achieve the impact we aspire to, we must better understand our intended audiences and engage them in authentic and relevant ways.
Looking ahead, we have an opportunity to further systemically invest in tools like social science and objectively wrestle with the implications of critical insights into shifting demographics and audience expectations in reports such as the AZA Trends 2033 Report. To remain impactful, we must understand not only who our audiences are today but also who they will become, ensuring that our zoos and aquariums remain both resilient and relevant into the future.
Many Small Wins Build Big Success
Jamie Ohrt, Associate Architect
Amidst the whirlwind of activity in Calgary, I was once again energized by the incredible momentum around key wins in conservation, animal welfare, DEAI, programming, and more. The progress our zoological community has made is inspiring, yet it’s also a reminder of how much more remains to be done. It can be overwhelming to reconcile the desire to do it all with the question of where to even begin.
This year, as in previous years, the presentations celebrating these achievements were concise—summarizing years of hard work into 15-minute PowerPoints wrapped neatly for the audience’s understanding. A phrase I heard repeatedly throughout the sessions was, “the stories stay, the lessons leave.” By the end of a long, information-packed week, it’s easy to hold onto the big lessons and let the smaller stories slip away. Yet, more than ever, I find myself drawn to those smaller, detailed stories that underpin the major accomplishments.
For me, it’s about recognizing the struggle, perseverance, and many “little wins” that accumulate to create those larger successes. I want to challenge all of us not to overlook the small achievements that are quietly building toward the big victories on the horizon. Keep pushing forward with incremental progress, no matter the scale you’re working on. As the saying goes, we sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees—but let’s keep planting those trees. Celebrate the small wins, for they are the foundation of the future we’re collectively striving to build.
I applaud everyone’s victories this year—large and small—and look forward to seeing your “wins-in-the-making” unfold.
Building Truly Inclusive Spaces Means Designing Beyond Compliance
Alan Montufar, Project Architect
First Time Attendee
Architects and designers often ground projects in ADA requirements, minimum federal guidelines, and building codes. However, too often, designs stop at these standards, focusing on compliance rather than fully embracing the opportunity to create truly inclusive spaces. As emphasized in many sessions and conversations at the AZA conference, creating spaces that welcome all guests—particularly those with “unapparent disabilities”—requires us, along with our partners in zoo and aquarium leadership, to think beyond the minimum.
At TESSERE, universal design is a core principle. We consistently go beyond compliance to ensure accessibility is integrated thoughtfully from the outset. Leading with innovation and empathy, we set a new standard for inclusivity, ensuring every space we design is welcoming and accessible to all.
In zoo design, guest experience is paramount, and making every visitor feel welcome and safe is a top priority. True inclusivity means designing for all disabilities, both apparent and unapparent. If we want to elevate the experience for everyone, we must look beyond regulatory standards. We shouldn’t wait for policy changes; we need to lead the way in defining the future of inclusive design for generations to come.
Authentic and Inclusive Land Acknowledgements Are Powerful
Jesse Daniel, Zoo & Aquarium Division Project Coordinator
Once again, I was inspired by the passionate people attending the 2024 AZA Conference. As one would expect, animals, people, and the environment were central to our conversations, but I was particularly struck by the prominent inclusion of Indigenous voices throughout the event. From traditional songs and dances at the Heritage Park Icebreaker to the moving land acknowledgments during the opening general session and many concurrent sessions, the recognition and celebration of Canada’s First Nations was unmistakable.
In Canada, land acknowledgments are deeply rooted in the legal framework established by treaties and the Canadian Constitution, which recognizes Indigenous rights. In the United States, land acknowledgments are less common and the idea of one can even spark lively debates within teams and organizations. By formally acknowledging the land on which we gather, live, and work we honor the historical and ongoing relationships between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories, but land acknowledgments must not stand alone. Without authentic relationships, partnerships, and collaboration, these acknowledgments risk becoming symbolic gestures rather than meaningful actions.
Zoos and aquariums have a unique opportunity to foster genuine connections with Indigenous communities by incorporating land acknowledgments into their programming, while also creating platforms for dialogue around Indigenous histories, contemporary issues, and cultural expressions—both of people and animals. Most of the time, when we tell the stories of animals, we are also telling the stories of the people who have lived alongside them for centuries.
By integrating Indigenous voices into conservation, sustainability, and interpretive programs, we can build true partnerships that amplify these stories and create a collaborative community of support. These efforts ultimately align with AZA’s commitments to equity and inclusion, fostering collaboration to save animals, and telling powerful stories that honor all cultures, histories, and aspirations as we work toward a shared future.
